I retired at 34, and here are the 7 best pieces of advice I can give you about money

In August, Brandon — a former software developer who doesn't
use his last name online for privacy reasons — achieved
financial independence and retired at age 34. Today, he writes about
money and his own financial journey on his blog the Mad Fientist.
Here are his seven best pieces of money advice.

1. Figure out what makes you happy

The first and most important thing you need to do is figure out
what is truly important to you and what makes you happy.

This is actually a lot harder than it sounds.

So many people spend money on things that don't add to their
happiness and most don't even know they're doing it because
they’re caught up following the same life script as everyone
else.

You don't have to buy a new house just because that's what all
your friends are doing, and you don’t have to get a fancy new car
to impress your colleagues.

You have the power to do anything you want with your life, so
don't live someone else's dream. Instead, figure out the life you
want to have and then save and spend accordingly.

When I realized that money could buy my freedom — freedom
from the 9-to-5, freedom from alarm clocks, freedom from wasting
my time on my boss's ridiculous requests — I diverted all of
my money toward that goal.

I didn't miss the things I was "giving up" to save for financial
independence because my freedom was more important than anything
else I could buy.

2. Focus on what you can control

Rather than stress about what's happening in the economy or
attempt to predict what the stock market is going to do, instead
focus on the things that are within your control and
optimize those things.

Investment fees can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars
over your investing lifetime, so minimize those fees by investing
in low-cost index funds.

Reduce risk and volatility by simply buying all the stocks in the
market via a total stock market index fund like Vanguard's VTSAX.

Minimize your taxes (and thus increase the amount you can invest)
by taking advantage of tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s, IRAs, and HSAs and by utilizing
other legal tax-avoidance strategies.

3. Automate everything

Once you've created a simple portfolio of low-cost, diversified
index funds and are taking advantage of all the tax-advantaged
accounts available to you, set up automated monthly investments
and then ignore your portfolio completely.

Humans are terrible investors, so if you can take your brain and
emotions out of it, you'll not only be less stressed during the
inevitable market drops but you'll also end up with a lot more
money.

4. Stop consuming, start creating

It's easy to come home from work and consume four hours of
television, but it's much harder to do something creative like
write a blog post, make some jewelry, or practice a musical
instrument. Creating is more rewarding than consuming though and
can even result in additional income.

When you're on your death bed, you're not going to look back with
pride at the number of hours of Facebook surfing you did or the
number of episodes of "Real Housewives" you watched, but you will
feel proud of the things you created and put out into the world.

5. Throw your TV out the window

Speaking of your TV... throw it out the window. Or better yet,
sell it on Craigslist.

When advertisers constantly bombard you with things you "need to
have,"you become less happy with what you do have and are more
likely to spend money (ironically on things that won't make you
any happier).

Pexels

When news reporters show you all the gruesome things happening,
all in 4K-super-realistic HD, you become more fearful and less
willing to get out and explore the world that is now more
accessible than ever.

Don't melt into a puddle of fear and unhappiness on your couch
and instead go actually live life.

6. Travel to other countries

Thanks to the advertisers mentioned above, Americans perception
of what is "normal" is so ridiculously skewed that it usually
takes traveling outside of the US to recalibrate yourself.

If you're struggling with your spending and feel like you need
more shiny things to be happy, travel to pretty much anywhere
else in the world and you'll start to appreciate the ridiculous
luxury you take for granted.

7. Experiment

Finally, experiment with your spending.

As I mentioned at the beginning, it's really hard to figure out
what actually makes you happy.

The things that add to your happiness today may not tomorrow so
experiment and avoid locking yourself into big commitments. Try
before you buy. Rent instead of own. Borrow when possible and
purchase used when not.

The road to happiness (and financial independence) won't be a
completely straight line, and you may make some mistakes along
the way, but when you focus on lasting happiness and you align
your spending with that overarching goal, you'll at least be
confident that you're on the right trajectory.